Mike Brockway of Mike’s Signs has been printing lawn signs for Tim Holden’s St. Paul mayoral campaign at a rapid clip. Residents, business owners and even the St. Paul Police Department have been throwing them away, sometimes almost as fast.

The “Holden for Mayor” signs have popped up on street corners, sidewalk planters and public green space — in other words, public right-of-way where campaign signs are not allowed.

On Sept. 20, an unhappy Holden emailed a picture of his trashed signs to a reporter: “Police are removing signs and are in there (sic) dumpster.”

He said Tuesday: “I thought the police had other things to do. I didn’t think it was dealing with signs. We’ve talked to our volunteers. They know they can’t put them on boulevards or public right-of-way.”

Brockway, who has owned his Snelling Avenue sign shop for 22 years, is equally outraged. “Every sign they put up, they yell about this or that,” he said. “I wonder why they’re doing that, when the election is going on?”

The reason, in short, is the city sign code. On Sept. 29, police removed six “Holden for Mayor” signs from public property near the Interstate 94 ramp off Vandalia Street, as well as the Interstate 35E ramp off West Seventh Street.

The next day, police removed additional signs from the Pierce Butler Route and from the intersections where Concordia Avenue meets Lexington Parkway and Dale Street.

City code enforcement officials said they’re exasperated with what they see as Holden’s disregard for the rules.

A city Safety and Inspections official met with Holden about three weeks ago to hand-deliver signs that had been placed in medians and other prohibited city, county or state rights-of-way.

“I noticed the next day there was a proliferation of Holden lawn signs, and they continue to proliferate,” said Robert Humphrey, a spokesman for the department. “And we continue to pull every one we see that’s illegally posted. ”

Even some critics of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s administration have railed against the signs.

“Yesterday, I removed a Holden sign from the east Dale Street ramp at I-94 and Rondo,” wrote Dann Dobson in a Sept. 29 online posting at E-Democracy.org. “I would like to see the city bill the Holden campaign for the cost of picking up all his lawn signs.”

Coleman, who is in his second term as mayor, will face Holden and candidates Kurt Dornfeld and Sharon Anderson in the November election.

Holden said someone took the sign Monday night or early Tuesday morning from his front lawn on Blair Avenue and that supporters have lost signs, as well. He said any campaign workers who violate the sign code will be let go.

“I’ve got about 20 people putting signs out, and they’re putting them on private property,” Holden said. “We’re trying to do everything by the book.”

Brockway said he has no gripe with Coleman, the incumbent, but he thinks the city needs to do more for its small businesses.

“I like Tim anyway,” he said. “I’m going to vote for Tim. It’s more of a rebellious vote.”

Frederick Melo came to the Pioneer Press in 2005 and brings an aggressive East Coast attitude to St. Paul beat reporting. He spent nearly six years covering crime in the Dakota County courts before switching focus to the St. Paul mayor's office, city council, and all things neighborhood-related, from the city's churches to its parks and light rail. A resident of Hamline-Midway, he is married to a Frogtown woman. He Tweets manically at @FrederickMelo

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